Unforgettable (29 page)

Patrick knew enough about the law to know that she was telling the truth. He’d never met Carl, but he knew Paul cared about her a great deal and that he’d go to any lengths to protect her.

“Sounds like you’ve had a rough three days, angel. You should have told me. I would have come back right away,” Patrick said.

“I know you would have, and that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. I’m a big girl…I can handle myself…”

“I can tell,” Patrick interrupted her, rubbing his throat theatrically.

Breezy blushed and smacked him lightly on the arm.

“I’m thrilled you’re back, Patrick, but I can’t go running for help every time I feel scared or have a problem,” Breezy explained.

“You’re right, of course. But letting me know something like this is going on isn’t running for help, angel,” he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“You have to promise to tell me if you have any more fears or suspicions, Breezy. You’re not alone now, and you don’t have to face your troubles by yourself anymore,” he insisted.

“If anything else happens, I promise I’ll tell you, okay?” she said.

She felt so much safer, now that Patrick was by her side. All she wanted to do now was just forget the whole horrible mess.

“Agreed. Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t you let me take you out this evening! We’ll get all dressed up and eat at a fancy restaurant…then we’ll go dancing, or something else, if you prefer. I’d really like to take you someplace elegant…somewhere black-tie, perhaps? That’ll take our minds off things for a while,” Patrick suggested.

“That sounds wonderful, Patrick. You completely read my mind about forgetting this whole mess. But I’ve only got one dress that might be suitable for a black-tie restaurant and I’ve never even worn the thing.”

“Well, one is all you need, sweetheart,” he said, pressing his lips against her temple.

“Okay, if you say so. Just remember I warned you,” she teased.

Breezy was a little unsure of the outfit she had in mind. She’d bought it last summer on an impulse, and then spent the next six months wondering where in the world she thought she was ever going to wear it.

“By the way, how did you get in here? All the doors were locked,” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“I wanted to surprise you, so I asked Susan to let me in,” he grinned sheepishly.

“Well, you sure managed to do that, all right…wait, what IS that noise I keep hearing?” Breezy suddenly asked, looking around for the source of the sound she’d subconsciously been hearing repeatedly for some time.

“Oh! That’s your surprise. Stay where you are…I’ll go get it.” Patrick said, leaping to his feet and rushing from the room.

When he returned, he was carrying a very large box wrapped in Christmas paper with a huge red bow stuck on top. It was so wide it completely covered his torso from waist to chin

“Oh no, Patrick! What have you done now?” she laughed, her cheeks blooming with color.

“It’s an early Christmas present that just can’t wait. Go ahead and open it,” he said, gently setting the box down at her feet.

Breezy open the lid carefully, never knowing what to expect from Patrick. Slowly leaning forward to peek inside, she saw a small, golden-haired Cocker Spaniel puppy staring up at her, wagging its stumpy little tail frantically.

“Oh, Patrick! She’s so cute! How did you know I was thinking about getting a puppy?” she squealed in delight.

“Susan told me you’ve been talking about it for a while, now. Everything this dog could possibly want or need is in that box, from dog food to chew toys. She’s five months old and she’s had all the necessary shots. Oh, and she’s house broken, too,” he told her; secretly proud that he’d arranged
this
gift without any help from Liam or Marie. Well, except for the housebreaking part. The breeder had already done that.

“Oh, she’s absolutely adorable! Thank you!” Breezy said, throwing one arm around his shoulders and kissing his cheek, while cradling the puppy with her other arm.

“You’re welcome, angel. But, she still needs one more thing…a name.”

“Well, look at that sweet little face,” Breezy said.

She turned the puppy in her arms so Patrick could see her face.

“What else would I call her but Heidi?”

“That’s a good name. I like it.” Patrick replied.

He was glad to see Breezy so happy, especially after hearing about the frightening events of the past few days. He wouldn’t have cared if she’d named the dog Myrtle, as long as it made her happy.

“This isn’t fair, Patrick. I’ve always been a sucker for big, beautiful brown eyes…you’re proof of that. Now, how am I going to scold her if she does something wrong when she’s looking at me like that?” she teased.

“I guess you’ll have to learn to live with it, because you’re stuck with the both of us now,” he replied, kissing her on the cheek.

“What do you say we clean this all up and get ready to go out tonight? Susan has already volunteered to watch Heidi for us and I still have to make reservations.”

“Just give me a couple of hours and I’ll have all this put away and be ready to go,” she said.

They began gathering all the spilled groceries and wrapping paper, with Heidi following every move they made, yapping and nipping at their heels the whole time.

***

Patrick waited downstairs while Breezy finished dressing. He was wearing a black tuxedo and felt as much at ease in it as he did in his business suit or jeans. When he’d gone to his apartment to change, he’d taken the opportunity to call Carl at the police station to confirm what Breezy had told him earlier. The only additional information the officer had been able to supply was that the car fit the description of a 1989 metallic blue Nissan Stanza. And, until the man, or woman, made a move to actually hurt Breezy, there was nothing they could do.

“Okay, Patrick! I’m ready,” Breezy called from upstairs. “I don’t know about this dress, though. It’s kinda flashy.”

“You have impeccable taste, angel. I’m sure the dress is fine,” he answered back up to her.

“Well, it’s a little revealing, too. I don’t even know why I bought it,” she shouted down again.

“If you don’t come down here and let me see this dress, we’ll never get to the restaurant on time,” Patrick replied. “I’m sure you look as beautiful as you always do.”

He turned away from the staircase to put his empty glass in the kitchen. When he returned, she was standing at the bottom of the staircase.

“Okay, but remember I warned you,” Breezy said softly.

She was wearing a floor length, black sequined gown with long sleeves and a high, choker style collar. It hugged every curve of her body like a kid glove. Not one inch of flesh was showing from her chin to her ankles, yet Patrick thought she was the sexiest thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

“You’re gorgeous!” he replied, taken completely off guard by the sight of her. She was absolutely breathtaking and he fell in love with her all over again.

“How in the world did I ever get so lucky?” he murmured under his breath.

“You don’t think it’s too revealing for a night on the town?” Breezy asked.

“No…not at all. You’re perfect,” he promised.

“Are you sure?” she asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Before Patrick could reply, she bent her knee slightly and the sequined fabric fell away, showing a generous length of her thigh. Patrick swallowed the huge lump in his throat as the shiny material fell away even more, revealing those long, luscious legs of hers.

“Getting tricky on me now, huh? That’s not fair at all, angel,” he managed to reply with some difficulty.

“Who, me? I told you it was revealing, didn’t I?” she said sweetly, a wicked evil grin firmly in place.

“Uh huh, sure you did,” he replied, clearing his throat.

It was all Breezy could do to keep from laughing out loud at his discomposure.

“If we don’t leave now, I promise you, we won’t be leaving at all,” he said, and started walking toward her.

Breezy held her wrap out to him with an innocent smile.

“Would you help me with this?” she asked sweetly.

“Of course. Turn around,” he instructed.

She did as he requested and shivered lightly at the low growl rumbling from Patrick’s chest. The back of her gown was practically nonexistent, considering that the very deep V was nothing but her silky soft skin.

“Oh, baby! You do know how to play dirty pool, don’t you?” he hissed between clenched teeth.

“Huh uh,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “You were warned about this dress several times, as I recall.”

“You’re messing with fire, little lady, but I’m the one getting burned,” Patrick growled, tossing her wrap onto the banister and taking her roughly into his arms.

“If you’re going to play with fire, I think I should, too,” he whispered against the shell of her ear.

He let his fingers glide down the center of her spine, loving the way she arched her back with every inch of his descent. The sound of her stifled moan heated his blood, sending it straight to his loins. He turned her around and followed the path of his fingers with his warm lips and tongue until he was on his knees behind her. Lifting her gown as he went, his hands traveled from her ankles upwards along her bare legs.

Breezy gasped and grabbed hold of the banister for support. The higher his hands climbed, the farther Patrick stood up, pulling her back firmly against his chest. She felt the hard length of his erection pressed against her lower back and her breathing became so shallow, she couldn’t speak. She’d only intended to arouse him playfully, but it had backfired on her. Now, he was arousing her, and he was deadly serious about it.

Patrick’s right hand snaked around her waist and down her stomach until his fingers found their way between her legs where he began caressing her through the thin fabric of her silk panties. Breezy’s knees gave way, but he didn’t allow her to crumple to the floor. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and held her closer.

“Oh, my Breezy! So responsive…so ready for me,” he groaned against her arched neck as his strong fingers stroked gently over her soft, wet folds.

Trembling and grinding helplessly against his hand, it took only seconds for her to explode from the mere touch of his fingers. She moaned and quivered in release, while Patrick held her tightly in his arms.

“My angel, only mine…now and forever,” he whispered into her hair.

As she regained her composure, he turned her around and pulled her into his arms once again. He splayed his hands across the warm, soft skin of her back. She raised her eyes slowly and the hot, feral look in his brown eyes could have melted the ice caps.

“Do you have any idea how much I love you, or the affect you have on me?” Patrick asked.

The blush on her cheeks and the gleam in her eyes told him that, although she was embarrassed by her reaction to his touch and what had just happened while they were still standing at her front door, she was also thrilled and turned on by it.

She still had no idea what he was capable of doing to her, but there was time…they had lots of time for him to show her.

“I’m beginning to, but if you promise to feed me first, you can show me when we get back,” she said, moving closer and running her hands through his thick black hair.

“I don’t know if I can take that kind of torture,” he said, kissing her thoroughly.

“Like the man said…if we don’t leave now, I promise you we won’t be leaving at all,” she replied breathlessly.

“You’re right,” he said, kissing her forehead once.

Patrick gently shifted her away from him to place the wrap around her shoulders. Mercifully for him, it completely covered the backless gown. He held out his arm for her to take and smiled down at her with a mischievous grin of his own.

“But we finish this the moment we get back,” he promised.

***

The rest of the evening was filled with dinner and dancing, laughter and song. Patrick told her about his trip to New York and about Liam and Marie’s reactions when they saw him wearing the lion sweatshirt she’d given him. He also told her he’d invited them down for New Year’s Eve so she could meet them.

Breezy told him all about the presents she and Susan had been able to buy for the children and how happy it had made them.

Although the evening was relaxing and fun, he couldn’t help watching for the blue car each time they were on the road. They’d taken his car but he still felt that, if someone was really watching her, or intending her harm, his presence in her life wouldn’t stop them from following her. He had a fair idea of what Frank might look like and scanned for anyone fitting that description.

There’d been no sign of the blue Nissan all evening but now that they were on their way home, Patrick noticed a small car several yards behind them. He kept his eye on it without saying anything to Breezy, deciding to make a few non-routine turns just to see if they were being followed. The car made every turn he made, but remained several yards behind. Once he was just a few doors away from Breezy’s house, the car vanished and he hadn’t seen it turn off. He’d looked away for just a second and then it was gone.

“Oh look, Patrick! It’s snowing!” Breezy cried when they turned onto her street.

“I was beginning to think we weren’t going to have a white Christmas this year,” he replied.

She was in such a good mood he didn’t want to worry or frighten her, so he didn’t tell her about his suspicions. After all, there was no proof the car was even following them and it was far too dark to tell what color it was.

“I love watching it snow at night. It’s so beautiful and silent. There’s just something magical about it, isn’t there? I hope it lasts at least through the holidays,” she said as they pulled into the driveway.

It didn’t take much for Patrick to convince her to sit on the porch swing to watch the snow with him for a while, but he had an ulterior motive. He wanted to see if the blue Nissan had actually followed them. He was determined that, if the car did drive by, he was going to go after it. No one was going to hurt Breezy ever again, not even if it was only by frightening her.